


You're My Whiskey from Time to Time

by embroiderama



Series: Truth 'Verse [27]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Age Difference, Birthday, Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-19
Updated: 2010-01-19
Packaged: 2017-10-06 11:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embroiderama/pseuds/embroiderama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen's 30th birthday--a present, a party, a possible future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're My Whiskey from Time to Time

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Over the Rhine's "Drunkard's Prayer." This is set in February/March 2008, after all of the previous [Truth Verse](http://embroiderama.livejournal.com/tag/truth+%27verse+outline) stories. Thank you to [](http://missyjack.livejournal.com/profile)[**missyjack**](http://missyjack.livejournal.com/) for the beta!

Jensen didn't want to think about his 30th birthday.

His brother wouldn't stop texting him, teasing him about coming on over to his side of the line from Mackenzie's and Jared kept leaving stupid shit around his trailer--Cialis ads and Rogaine--and how much of that was Jensen supposed to take? Jeff didn't say a whole lot about it, and Jensen figured it was tacky to complain about his age to Jeff considering the decade between them. Jensen just couldn't help looking in the mirror and examining the deepening lines at the corners of his eyes, ruffling up the hair on his forehead and trying to figure out if maybe that Rogaine was less of a joke than he wanted it to be.

He knew he wasn't exactly doing badly with his career--he had a job for the next year at least, he had a fan base--but there was no guarantee that this wasn't as good as it would get. He didn't think he could be as patient as Jeff, plugging away at TV roles for ten years before getting better creative projects. He'd been called pretty enough times to know that pretty didn't sell as well at forty as it did at twenty.

He just wanted the whole birthday thing to be over so he could go back to pretending that he didn't even know or care how old he was. Go back to being Dean Winchester who was almost a year younger.

~~~

Picking up Jensen's family at the airport was not one of the most comfortable things Jeff had ever done. He tried to focus on being a gentleman, helping Donna and Mackenzie and Jensen's grandmother into the back seat of the SUV. He smiled down at Mrs. Shaffer as she peered at him with sharp eyes from behind her old-lady sunglasses. He shook Alan's hand, and as much as he could tell that Alan had to work at acting normal he had to give the man credit for trying.

The visit to Richardson with Jensen had been horrible, the worst family scene Jeff had ever been a part of and the worst he ever hoped to see. But Jensen had visited on his own for a couple of days over Christmas, and he and Alan were building a bridge between them--still shaky but better than only an empty chasm separating father and son. Jeff knew what that emptiness felt like, and he didn't wish it for Jensen. Not ever.

After a few minutes of driving in silence with Alan in the passenger seat, Jeff opened his mouth, determined to break the ice. "So, I've got Jensen's car parked in the lot by his building--told him it failed inspection and needed some work done. I put maps in the glove box to get you to the restaurant and back tomorrow night. And there's food in the fridge, but I left some menus for places that deliver. Don't know what you folks might be hungry for."

In the rear view mirror, Jeff could see Donna leaning forward in the back seat. "That was very kind of you."

"It's no big deal. I'm just glad you could make it here. Jensen might kill me, but I can always blame it on Jared."

"Jared's a nice boy," Mrs. Shaffer piped up. _And you're the man making a sinner out of my precious grandson._ Jeff heard the unspoken words in her tone. When traffic in front of him came to a standstill he turned around and gave her his best Denny Duquette smile. He figured he didn't have much hope of winning the old broad over, but he wasn't above trying.

Six hours later, Jeff arrived back at the airport to pick up Jensen from his flight down from Vancouver, and the one thing he was clear on was that he never wanted to become an airport cab driver. Especially not one who works on Fridays. Jensen looked irritated as soon as he got into the car, and Jeff hoped he could get him out of that bad mood before the party on Saturday night.

"I'm going to call that dealership and tell them to pay for the fucking repairs. I can't believe I've had that thing less than a year and it doesn't pass inspection!" Jensen pushed his seat belt home with more force than necessary and then sat back in his seat with the air of a man who'd rather push the car home just to get his frustration out.

"Jesus, would you chill? It's nothing major, they're just all backed up with it being the last day of the month otherwise you'd have it back already." Jeff slid his hand over to rest on Jensen's thigh, the muscle tense and twitching under his jeans.

"I don't care--I hardly ever drive it, it ought to be in mint condition." He took his cell out of his pocket. "You think they're still open?"

"No, they're closed all weekend, babe. Sorry." _Thank God,_ Jeff thought. By the time the garage opened, Jensen would know his car was just fine. Jeff had to wonder if that character bleed from Dean Winchester was getting out of hand--he'd know Jensen was in trouble if he traded in his car for a classic Impala.

"Well, I'll have to call them before we start filming Monday morning." Jensen took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Jeff felt Jensen's leg relax under his hand, and then Jensen put his hand on top of Jeff's, squeezing lightly. "Thanks for the ride. And taking care of the car for me."

"No problem. I've got a few days downtime; it's good to get some normal stuff knocked out."

"Yeah. Man, I'm just looking forward to chilling out this weekend. Please tell me you don't have people coming over for my birthday tomorrow. Please."

"Nope, nobody coming over." Jeff pulled his hand away to make a turn. "I have a little surprise for you at the house and then I thought we'd go out for dinner tomorrow night." Which was not, in fact, a lie. He'd reserved the party room at K. Antonia's, one of Jensen's favorite restaurants.

"I can handle dinner." Jensen sighed, slumping down a little in his seat. "Though we could always eat in. Dinner in bed?"

"Mmmm, sounds good." Jeff thought about the last time they'd had dinner in bed then dismissed the thought. "But I've got reservations and I'm looking forward to the seafood ravioli."

"Okay, just as long as there aren't any servers singing to me I can deal."

Jeff glanced over and caught Jensen's smile. He grinned back, relieved that he'd won the first battle.

~~~

Walking in the front door, Jensen breathed in the smell of the place and felt himself home. The apartment in Vancouver wasn't bad--better than staying in a hotel room had been--but nothing like Jeff's house, their house. Bisou came skittering out of the kitchen and flung herself at his feet, showing off her belly.

"Hey, girl." He knelt down to scratch her, cracking a smile at how her leg always twitched when he got just the right spot.

When he stood up, Jeff had his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face that promised either something really good or trouble. "What's up?"

"You want something to eat?"

"Nah, I had a snack on the plane. I'm good. All I want to do is hit the bathroom and take out these damn contacts." Jensen rubbed at the corners of his eyes, trying not to irritate them more than the dry air on the plane already had.

"Okay, I'll wait for you down here." Jeff smiled with a glint in his eye and Jensen knew something was up. He sure as hell hoped there weren't a bunch people waiting out in the back yard for a surprise party.

After peeing and changing out his contacts for glasses, Jensen headed back downstairs, ready to let the stress of the week go and just enjoy the weekend with Jeff. At the foot of the stairs, Jeff leaned against the wall, his casual stance belied by the excited tension in his body.

"You want to come see your birthday present early?" Jeff's grin grew and Jensen suddenly had visions of something bizarre and kinky--a sex swing or matching dildos or something he didn't even know existed.

"Um, yeah?" Jensen pulled off his jacket and left it folded on the arm of his favorite chair. He followed Jeff into the kitchen and then out the door onto the back deck. Since the last time Jensen had been home, the deck had grown an appendage, an additional area with a high wooden fence surrounding it. Jensen drew a blank until Jeff opened a gate and steam drifted out.

"Oh man, a hot tub!" Jensen walked over and saw that it was huge, deep -- a pool of steamy bubbling water with a bench surrounding it and two thick robes hanging on hooks nearby. "Damn, Jeff."

"So you like it?" Jeff stood next to Jensen and put a hand on his back, sliding it down to touch the skin of his back just under the waistband of his jeans.

"Yeah, you could say that." Jensen arched his back, letting Jeff's hand slip down lower. "Does it have jets?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Jensen reached behind himself and pulled the gate closed, sealing them into the small roofless enclosure. His glasses fogged up immediately, so he took them off, tucking them into the pocket of one of the robes for safekeeping. Without his glasses, everything looked soft, the edges indistinct, and as Jeff pulled off his clothes he became a flesh-toned blur against the gray blur of the tub. Jensen shed his own clothes, letting them drop to the wooden floor, and then padded over to lay his hand on the slick fiberglass of the tub, the warm skin of Jeff's chest.

"My depth perception is for shit. Don't let me fall getting in."

"Never," Jeff said, taking Jensen's hand in his. "Come on."

Jensen followed Jeff up over the lip of the tub and then into the water. The water stung his skin, almost too hot, and he hissed in a surprised breath. Jeff's hand touched his chest, and Jensen let the breath out as his body accepted the heat. Jeff sat down, and Jensen followed, feeling the smooth bench below him as he lowered himself down. The hot water swirled around Jensen's body, drawing him in, pulling out the tensions of the week like one of the make-up department's mud masks pulled out oil.

He let out a long, satisfying sigh and then smirked as Jeff laughed next to him. He couldn't quite make out the expression on Jeff's face, but he didn't need glasses to know what he'd see. "This is the best present ever. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Jensen stood up and swung a leg over Jeff's lap. He let his weight sit on Jeff's knees and leaned in for a kiss as he felt the water lap gently against his back. His wet hands on Jeff's wet skin felt made to wander. Slick over slick, he ran his palms over the ridges of Jeff's biceps and ruffled the hair on his forearms. He wrapped his arms around Jeff's back and pulled him into the deeper water in the middle of the tub. Buoyed by warmth, Jensen began to feel things around him the way he saw them--edgeless, fluid, boundaries all waterlogged and uncertain. The edges of his body melted into the warm bubbling water, and he could only feel his skin where it brushed against Jeff's. Their legs tangled together underwater, his knee sliding along Jeff's thigh.

Jeff's hands traveled across Jensen's chest, broad fingertips teasing his nipples, thumb dipping into his navel  
then tracing an uncertain spiral out over his belly. Jensen let time go, moving against Jeff and letting the weight of the water turn every movement into a lazy dance step. His cock hardened from the stimulation of a hundred glancing strokes; it bobbed up against Jensen's stomach until Jensen finally felt his patience breaking down. His hands on Jeff's shoulders, he moved them back up against the bench where he could get enough traction on the wall to push up against Jeff's hip. It was sweet slippery skin, but it wasn't enough, couldn't get him there.

Then Jeff's hand was surrounding his cock, God, gripping both their cocks in one hand. The hard ridge outlining the head of Jeff's cock pressed into his and he pushed his feet hard into the bottom of the tub to get more of a grip, more pressure at just the right place. Jeff's hand jacked them both at once, thumb and forefinger wrapped snug around Jensen's shaft, firm line of flesh against him all the way down. The surface of the water rippled all along Jensen's chest, his shoulders and back, teasing him like dozens of fingers, and when Jeff's thumb flicked up over the tip of his cock he came, spurting into the water between them. Jeff's hand kept working around him and then Jeff shuddered and threw an arm over Jensen's shoulder as he came too.

Together, they slumped against the side of the tub and lay there cradled in the warmth of the water, the gentle buzz of the heat, the sleepy gauze of steam. The stars shone on above, even if Jensen couldn't see them.

~~~

The only way they were touching as they walked into K's Saturday night was the back of Jensen's shoulder brushing up against the front of Jeff's, but Jeff could still feel it the moment Jensen twigged to what was going on. The hostess guided them back past the main dining room and Jensen tensed up, his steps slowed and Jeff had to slow down himself to avoid walking into him.

"Jeff," Jensen murmured under his breath. Jeff wrapped a hand over Jensen's shoulder and kept him moving. "I'm going to kill you. Seriously. Tiny pieces the cops'll never--"

The hostess pushed open the door ahead of them and thirty voices called out "SURPRISE!" Jensen froze still for a moment then suddenly relaxed visibly--whether he decided that everybody in the room was somebody he was glad to see or he just decided to go with it for the moment Jeff didn't know. Chris, Steve and Jason stood near the front of the group next to Mackenzie, Josh and Donna Ackles. Jared stood in the middle with Sandy tucked up against him, whooping it up like he was the only one there.  
After standing there for a moment absorbing the noise of the crowd, Jensen headed over to greet his mom and sister, aiming a fake-menacing finger-gun at Jared. Jared laughed and walked over to Jeff, holding his hand up for a high-five that turned into a back-slapping hug.

"Man, you rock for getting him here!"

"This party better be good or we're both going to pay later on." Jeff laughed and watched Jensen's mother lead him back through the crowd. His grandmother sat at a table along the wall, and when Jensen got close to her he squatted down and took her in his arms. His father walked up a moment later and put his hand on Jensen's shoulder. Jensen startled and stood up quickly, balancing himself with a hand on the table. He looked down at the floor but then his head came up as his father pulled him in for a brief hug.

"Hey, ground control to Major Jeff." Jared spoke into Jeff's ear, shaking Jeff out of his daze.

"Sorry, man."

"No big." Jared shrugged and then nodded in the direction of the Ackles family. "So, maybe he won't kill us?"

"Yeah, I'm not so sure his grandma isn't plotting my death though."

Jared cracked up and patted Jeff on the back. "Good luck with that."

Jeff circulated the room, talking to Jensen's friends, moving in and out of Jensen's space. More people arrived as the party went on, and Jeff caught up with some of the Supernatural crew. Any doubts Eric Kripke might have had about who Jensen was involved with were clearly dispelled when Jensen, tired and a little drunk, hung on Jeff's side, one arm wrapped around Jeff's waist and his hand creeping past the belt of Jeff's slacks.

Once Kripke walked out, giggling just a little, Jeff pushed Jensen down into a chair and sat next to him. "Hey, babe," he murmured, wrapping a hand around Jensen's wrist. "Good party, huh?"

"Really good." Jensen smiled soft and slow. The loose set of his shoulders reminded Jeff of how he'd looked sitting on the edge of the hot tub the night before. "I think I may let you live."

"Oh, good. You ready to get out of here?"

"Sure." Jensen closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the wall. "Help me up?"

"Come on, you lush." Jeff took Jensen's hand in his and levered him to his feet. Most of the crowd was already gone, and Jensen waved to the stragglers as Jeff led him out the door.

In the car, Jensen flipped down the passenger seat visor and examined himself in the mirror as Jeff warmed up the car. He poked at his face, frowning into the mirror.

"What're you doing? Got something in your eye?"

"Just lookin' at how old I am now. Thirty. I don't--" Jensen looked over at Jeff and his eyes widened as he shut himself up.

"What? Babe, you know you're not old."

"I didn't mean--" Jensen looked embarrassed. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Jensen looked genuinely upset about something, and Jeff thought that the liquor in his system might make him explain more candidly that he would sober. "What were you going to say? You don't what?"

Jensen looked at himself in the mirror again and then closed his eyes. "I don't know how much longer this can last. I work out and I watch every, every fucking thing I eat, I use this stupid expensive cream and I don't know how much longer it'll be until I'm one of those guys, hating myself because I'm not 25 anymore and never gonna be again. And I just got over hating myself for being--" He gestured to the space between the two of them. "You know. And I don't want to be there again. I don't want to be killing myself to look _pretty_ when I'm fifty years old so I can take my shirt off on some TV show."

"Jen," Jeff whispered, reaching out to wrap an arm around Jensen's shoulders. "You've got a whole hell of a lot more going for you than pretty."

"I'm not sure too many people see it that way. I just wish I could be like one of the dudes behind the cameras, doing the watching instead of being _watched_ all the damn time." Jensen's shoulders shuddered at the word 'watched.'

"Then do it." Jeff squeezed Jensen's shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Do it. Move to the other side of the camera, or at least work in that direction. I think you have a shitload of people who would help you."

Jensen looked over at Jeff, blinking. "You think so? I mean, I didn't go to school for that. Or anything."

"So maybe you take some classes. But weren't you talking to Kim about camera stuff for like twenty minutes tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"All those guys--Bob Singer, Phil--you gotta know they would help you in whatever you decide to do. 'Cause here's the thing. I think you're fucking gorgeous, and I'm pretty damn sure you're going to be even hotter in twenty years, but I don't want to see you rip yourself apart over it. You've got brains in there, and I've seen the way you watch every single thing the directors do."

"Yeah."Jensen's voice sounded tired but a little bit hopeful.

"Just think about it, okay?"

"Okay. Hey, Jeff?"

"What, babe?"

"I love you, but I'm tired of sitting in this parking lot. Can we go home before it's time to wake up for my flight?"

Jeff laughed, looking at the dark lot around them, the few lights glinting off chrome and car mirrors. The light reflecting off the visor mirror in front of Jensen illuminated the lines beside his eyes, and Jeff wished he could explain how much he loved those lines. He pulled away from Jensen's side and leaned in at a better angle to kiss his lips. He brushed a hand over the spiky hair on top of Jensen's head and then pressed his lips to the tender skin at Jensen's temple and flicked his tongue out to lick the tiny lines. "You understand what I'm saying?" Jeff whispered into Jensen's ear.

"I think I do." Jensen let his head loll back on the seat, his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips.

"Let's go then." Jeff put the car into drive and took off toward home.


End file.
